Teen Bride’s Death In Kabul Raises Questions, Prompts Calls For Probe
A 17-year-old girl identified as Farkhunda has died under what sources describe as suspicious circumstances in Kabul, roughly six weeks after her marriage.
A 17-year-old girl identified as Farkhunda has died under what sources describe as suspicious circumstances in Kabul, roughly six weeks after her marriage.
Sources told Afghanistan International that her body was found on Saturday, 15 November, at her husband’s residence in Golbahar Centre. The Taliban confirmed her death but said she died of a stroke.
According to the sources, Farkhunda had married a 17-year-old boy in Kabul a month and a half earlier. Afghanistan International has reviewed photos and videos from their wedding ceremony. Some sources said the husband had been reluctant to marry but agreed under family pressure. Others claimed the husband’s family are business partners of Taliban officials and wield significant influence within the group’s administration.
Taliban police spokesperson Khalid Zadran wrote on X on Monday that Farkhunda’s family had reported she suffered a stroke. He rejected descriptions of the death as suspicious, saying investigators had not found any evidence of foul play and that no complaint had been filed by the family. He added that an investigation is continuing.
Women’s rights activists have challenged the Taliban’s account and called for an independent inquiry by international organisations.
Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, anyone under 18 is considered a child regardless of marital status, parenthood or economic circumstances.
News of Farkhunda’s death has prompted widespread reactions on social media.
Batool Haidari, a university professor, wrote on X that killings of women and young people were increasing under Taliban rule.
Women’s rights activist Huda Khamosh said on Facebook that the death was “not mysterious,” describing such characterisations as attempts to conceal a murder.
Another X user, Akhzrati, linked the case to forced marriages, calling them a “death trap for young girls.”
Khadija Ahmadi, another social media user, wrote that the incident reflects the broader situation of women in Afghanistan” without rights, without a voice, and a victim of a brutal patriarchal system.” She said the value of women’s lives had fallen to its lowest point under Taliban rule.
Some users have described Farkhunda’s death as an act of femicide.
